Portal:Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Portal

Oklahoma (/ˌoʊkləˈhoʊmə/ ^ⓘ OH-klə-HOH-mə; Choctaw: Oklahumma, pronounced [oklahómma]), is a landlocked state in the South Central, Southern, and Southwestern regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the southwest, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northeast, Arkansas to the southeast, New Mexico to the west, and Colorado to the northwest. Partially in the western extreme of the Upland South, it is the 20th-most extensive and the 28th-most populous of the 50 United States. Its residents are known as Oklahomans, and its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City.

The state's name is derived from the Choctaw words okla, 'people' and humma, which translates as 'red'. Oklahoma is also known informally by its nickname, "The Sooner State", in reference to the Sooners, American settlers who staked their claims in formerly American Indian-owned lands until the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889 authorized the Land Rush of 1889 opening the land to settlement.

With ancient mountain ranges, prairie, mesas, and eastern forests, most of Oklahoma lies in the Great Plains, Cross Timbers, and the U.S. Interior Highlands, all regions prone to severe weather. Oklahoma is at a confluence of three major American cultural regions. Historically, it served as a government-sanctioned territory for American Indians moved from east of the Mississippi River, a route for cattle drives from Texas and related regions, and a destination for Southern settlers. There are currently 25. According to the 2020 U.S. census, 14.2 percent of Oklahomans identify as American Indians, the highest Indigenous population by percentage out of any state.

A major producer of natural gas, oil, and agricultural products, Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahoma's primary economic anchors, with nearly two-thirds of Oklahomans living within their metropolitan statistical areas. (Full article...)

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Arkansas River headwaters in Colorado

The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas River Valley. The headwaters derive from the snowpack in the Sawatch and Mosquito mountain ranges. It flows east into Kansas and finally through Oklahoma and Arkansas, where it meets the Mississippi River.

At 1,469 miles (2,364 km), it is the sixth-longest river in the United States, the second-longest tributary in the Mississippi–Missouri system, and the 47th longest river in the world. Its origin is in the Rocky Mountains in Lake County, Colorado, near Leadville. In 1859, placer gold discovered in the Leadville area brought thousands seeking to strike it rich, but the easily recovered placer gold was quickly exhausted. The Arkansas River's mouth is at Napoleon, Arkansas, and its drainage basin covers nearly 170,000 square miles (440,000 km²). Its volume is much smaller than the Missouri and Ohio rivers, with a mean discharge of about 40,000 cubic feet per second (1,100 m³/s). (Full article...)

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Moore, Oklahoma in 2024

Moore is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The population was 62,793 at the 2020 census, making Moore the seventh-largest city in the state of Oklahoma.

Located between Oklahoma City and Norman, the city has been the site of several devastating tornadoes, with those occurring in 1999 and 2013 receiving international attention. The 3 costliest tornadoes in Oklahoma history all occurred in Moore. (Full article...)

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See List of municipalities in Oklahoma for more city articles

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Credit: Katsrcool
Automobile Alley Historic District, an upscale urban neighborhood in Oklahoma City.

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Featured content

Featured articles: Black Seminoles • Chickasaw Turnpike • Jim Thorpe • Oklahoma • Tulsa, Oklahoma • Woody Guthrie • Oklahoma City bombing • Brad Pitt

Featured lists: Oklahoma birds • Tallest buildings in Tulsa • List of tallest buildings in Oklahoma City • List of birds of Oklahoma • List of Oklahoma Sooners football seasons • List of Oklahoma Sooners head football coaches • List of Oklahoma Sooners in the NFL Draft

State facts

Nickname:The Sooner State
Capital and largest city: Oklahoma City
Governor: Kevin Stitt (R)
Total area: 181,196 square kilometers (69,960 square miles)
Population (2020 census): 3,959,353
Date admitted to the Union: November 16, 1907
Senators: Alan S. Armstrong (R), James Lankford (R)
Representatives: Kevin Hern (R), Josh Brecheen (R), Frank Lucas (R), Tom Cole (R), Stephanie Bice (R)

State symbols

Mammal: Bison
Bird: Scissor-tailed flycatcher
Fish: White bass
Floral emblem: Mistletoe
Flower: Oklahoma Rose
Grass: Indian grass
Insect: Honeybee
Tree: Redbud
Fossil: Allosaurid dinosaur
Rock: Rose Rock
Soil: Port Silt Loam
Song: Oklahoma!
Beverage: Milk

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Hader in 2016

William Thomas Hader Jr. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2005 to 2013, for which he received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Peabody Award. He became known for his impressions and especially for his work on the Weekend Update segments, where he played Stefon, a flamboyant New York City nightclub tour guide.

Hader co-created the HBO dark comedy series Barry (2018–2023) with Alec Berg, in addition to playing the title role of Barry Berkman. He also served as producer, writer and director, for which his efforts garnered him eight Emmy Award nominations for the series. He won two, consecutively, for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He is a star and producer of the IFC mockumentary comedy series Documentary Now! (2015–2022) along with Fred Armisen and Seth Meyers. He was Emmy-nominated for his guest role in Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2022. (Full article...)

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... that Joe Eddins helped conservative Oklahoma enact universal preschool?
... that the three costliest tornadoes in Oklahoma's history hit the same town in 2013, in 1999 and in 2003?
... that Ken Selby walked along U.S. Route 66 from Oklahoma City to Tulsa at the age of 73?
... that after a 2008 tornado, Michael Chertoff likened Picher, Oklahoma, to a nuclear bomb site?
... that the morning show on an Oklahoma TV station was such a "local phenomenon" that the president of ABC acquiesced to them not airing Good Morning America?
... that an Oklahoma TV station returned to its original call sign after the death of its founder, Gene Autry?

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The following are images from various Oklahoma-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Allen Wright, a Choctaw minister, scholar and chief, is credited as the state's founding father for creating the state's name in 1865. (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 2The modern United States, with Louisiana Purchase overlay (in green) (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 3Spiro Mounds on the Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma. (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 4Regional map of Oklahoma (from Geography of Oklahoma)
Image 5Cartoonist's rendering of Theodore Roosevelt's initial reaction to the Oklahoma Constitution.^{[needs context]} (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 6Gushers brought in many of Oklahoma's early oil fields—this one on February 21, 1922, near Okemah. (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 7US 1822 (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 8Routes to Indian Territory taken by the Five Civilized Tribes, often known as the Trail of Tears. (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 9The Republic of Texas. (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 10The Great Plains (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 11American Indian Movement poster from civil rights era (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 12Poor mother and children during the Great Depression. Elm Grove, Oklahoma (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 13Caddoan Languages (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 14The Coronado Expedition 1540–1542 (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 15Oklahoma topographical map (from Geography of Oklahoma)
Image 16Oklahoma and Indian Territory, 1890s (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 17Map showing British territorial gains following the Treaty of Paris in pink, and Spanish territorial gains after the Treaty of Fontainebleau in yellow. (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 18The Dust Bowl ravaged the Oklahoma Panhandle and nearby areas in the 1930s. (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 19Map of the United States with Oklahoma highlighted (from List of municipalities in Oklahoma)
Image 20Köppen climate types of Oklahoma, using 1991-2020 climate normals. (from Geography of Oklahoma)
Image 21Flag of Oklahoma (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 22Map of Indian Territory (Oklahoma) 1889. Britannica 9th ed. (from History of Oklahoma)
Image 23Geographic map of Oklahoma (from Geography of Oklahoma)

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WikiProject Oklahoma	Oklahoma State Highways	Missing articles on Oklahoma newspapers	Taskforce Tulsa

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Article requests: Julius Jones (death row inmate): A death row inmate in Oklahoma
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